Drill



F451). 1, 1938. J :IORBERIT, J 2,106,937

DRILL Filed March 4, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l mwaur/W mum 5mm Q I foluz Z. Tarberi, Jr.

Feb. 1, 1938:

J.- E. TORBERT, JR

DRILL 2 Sheets- Sheet 2 Filed March 4, 1956 v Patented Feb. 1, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DRILL John E. Torbert, Jr., National City, Calif. Application March 4, 1936; Serial No. 67,146

1 Claim.

This invention relates to an improved drill which is power driven and one object of the invention is to provide a drill, a source of power such as an electric motor, a flexible shaft receiv-l 5 ing rotary motion from the motor shaft, and a tool holder at the other end of the flexible shaft having a housing. enclosing shafting for transmitting rotary motion from the flexible shaft to a bit receiving socket, a switch being associated.

10 with the housing whereby the workman using the drill may close a circuit through the motor and set the drill in motion whenever desired and also shut on the current while at quite a distance from the place where the motor is located.

Another object of the invention is to so form the drill that the bit holder may be adjusted and disposed either in axial alinement with a shaft in the casing from which it receives rotary motion or at a desired angle transversely thereof and thus allow openings to be drilled in confined spaces which would be diflicult to reach with a drill having the bit mounted at the end of a rigid shaft.

Another object of the invention is to so form the casing that it may be very easily held and so locate-the switch that the workman may close or open the same without releasing his hold upon the device.

. The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a view in elevation showing a drill constructed in accordance with this invention assembled and ready for use.

Figure 2 is a sectional view upon an enlarged scale, taken longitudinally through the bit holder and drill head and handle shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view looking down upon Figure 2 with the-bit holdershown turned to an adjusted position by dotted lines.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 44 of Figure 2.

This improved power drill consists, briefly, of a motor I, a flexible shaft 2 receiving rotary motion from the shaft of the motor I, a shaft 4,5 housing or casing- 2 having a bit holder associated therewith and preferably angularly adjustable, and an electric cable 4 for extending along the flexible shaft for connection with a switch carried by the shaft housing or a handle thereof 50 in order that the workman may easily turn on the current when needed. By this arrangement the workman may do his work at quite a distance from the motor without having to walk over to the motor in order to turn on the current or shut it 01'! and may, in fact, cause the current to be turned on or shutoff without releasing the drill. The flexible shaft has the cable 4 connected with it by a resilient clip 5 so that the cable extends longitudinally of the shaft in close contacting engagement therewith from the motor to the outer end of the shaft and at its outer end, the

cable terminates in a terminal -6 formed with the usual prongs. i by means of which the terminal 6 may be thrust into sockets of a companion terminal carried either by the shaft hous ing or its handle, as will be hereinafter set forth.

The motor l is of the type used for. an electric drill and has been shown mounted in a support consisting of a sleeve 8 formed with a base 9 adapted to be secured upon a bench or the like by fasteners Hi. This motor has an extended neck .H at one end through which the motor shaft i2 projects and the flexible shaft is connected with the motor shaft in any desired manner so that it turns therewith. While it has been stated that the motor I is to be secured upon a bench or the like, it is to be understood that the cable 4 and intake cable i of the motor may be connected with a junction box 4 at the end of a long power cord 4' and carried from one place to another by a workman or placed upon a floor and dragged from one place .to another by pull exerted upon the flexible cable 2. The device will, therefore, be readily portable during use.

- The tool which is mounted at the front end of the flexibleshaft has a barrel or tubular shaft housing 36 through which extends a shaft 31 having its end portions rotatably mounted by. bearings 38. At its rear end the shaft 31 terminates in a socket 39 to receive the squared end of the terminal! of the flexible shaft and the coupling 4| which fits loosely about the terminal 40 has a reduced and externally threaded end portion 42 adapted to be screwed into the rear end portion of the barrel 36 about the socket 39 and thus connect the flexible shaft with the shaft 31 and cause the shaft 3'! to turn with the flexible shaft. At its forward end the shaft 31 carries a nipple 43 similar to the nipple 22 and having a squared shank 44 for engagement in the socket 45 of a shaft 46 which is rotatably mounted in the tubular shank 41 of the drill head. The shank terminates at its rear end in an enlarged portion deflningan internally threaded socket 48 adapted to be screwed uponthe reduced and externally threaded forward end portion 49 of the barrel 36 and from an inspection .of Figure 2 it will be seen that when the socket 48 is screwed upon the reduced end of the barrel, the shank 44 of the nipple 43 will be engaged in t% socket 46 and cause the shaft 46 to rotate with the shaft 61. At its forward end, the shank 41 carries a cup 66 which, together with the companion cup 5|, provides a substantially spherical gear housing 62, in which is rotatably mounted a double gear 66 having its lower gear 54 meshing with a gear or pinion 65 carried by the forwardend of the shaft 46. The upper section of the gear housing carries a tubular shank or neck 66 in which a shaft 51 is rotatably mounted by bearings 56 and this shaft carries at its inner end a pinion 56 meshing with the upper gear 66 of the double gear 51. At its outer end, the shaft 61 carriesa socket 6i in which a chuck 62 is secured by set screws 63.

As the pinions 6E- and 56 are of the same size and the upper and lower gears 64 and 66 of the double gear are of the same size, rotary motion will be transmitted from the shaft 46 to the shaft 51 at the same speed of rotation and, of course, a bit 64 will also rotate at the same speed as the shaft 46. The double gear 53 is rotatably mounted about a shaft or bolt 66 having an enlarged threaded head 61 at one end which is screwed into a threaded opening 68 formed centrally of the cup 56. The other end portion of the shaft 66 is threaded and projects externally of the cup 6| and is engaged by a nut 66 carrying a handle 16 which is curved to conform to the contour of the cup 5|. When the nut 66 is tight, the cup 5| will be held in a stationary position such as shown in full lines in Figure 3, but when the nut is loosened by applying transverse pressure to the handle of the nut, the cup 6| maybe turned about the shaft 66 to a position transversely of the shank 41, as indicated by dotted lines in Figure 3.

' It will thus be seen that the bit may be disposed either longitudinally of the shaft 46 and shank 41 or transversely thereof and holes may be drilled in places which would be very difncult to reach if this adjustment were not provided for.

It is desired to permit the drill head 41 and the tubular shaft housing 66 to be easily held and in order to do so there has been provided a handle 1| which resembles the stock or grip of a pistol. This handle is formed of metal which is resilient and at its upper end carries a sleeve 12 of a diameter permitting the tubular shaft housing 36 to be slid through it to the position shown in Figures 1 and 2 with the threaded forward end portion of this shaft housing projecting forwardly from the sleeve for engagement by the socket 46. -The handle H has its upper portion formed with a slit 16 at its back which extends into the under portion of the sleeve and, therefore, the sleeve may be contracted about the shaft housing to firmly grip itswhen the nut 14 of the bolt 15 which passes transversely through the upper portion of the handle is tightened. A loop 16 resembling the trigger guard of a pistol is provided at the front of the handle and within ing the handle 1| and when the trigger is moved Rarwardly by pressure applied to it, the lug or finger 16 of the trigger willshift the arm 66 rearwardly against action of the spring 6i mounted in the handle between the arm and an abutment bracket uf A block a: formed of conductive material is pivoted to the upper end of the arm 66 which is formed of insulating material and when the arm is moved rearwardly, this block engages and bridges the contact 64 of the terminal 66 to which the wires 66 are secured. These wires extend outwardly through an opening 61 formed in a side of the handle near the bridged to, close a circuit through the motor and rotary motion will be transmitted through the flexible shaft to the shaft 61 and from this shaft through the shaft and gearing of the tool head 41 to the bit. When the trigger is relieved of pressure, the spring 6i moves the arm 66 and .the block or bridge 66 away from the terminal 65 thus breaking the circuit and shutting off the motor. It will thus be seen that the device will only be in operation when actually in use.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

In a power drill, a tool head including a shaft housing, a shaft rotatably mounted therein and having one end portion adapted to receive rotary motion from a'drive shaft, a gear housing having companion upper and lower sections, a bolt extending through the gear housing centrally thereof and having a threaded head at its lower end screwed into a threaded opening formed in the lower section, the upper end portion of said bolt being threaded and projecting outwardly through an opening in the upper section of the gear housing, a double gear loosely mounted about said bolt within the gear housing and having upper and lower beveled gears, a tubular shank extending laterally from the lower section of the gear housing and detachably connected with an end portion of said shaft housing, a shaft rotatably mounted in the shank of the lower section and having one end portion detachably connected with the shaft in the shaft housing and a beveled gear at its other end meshing with the lower beveled gear of the double gear, a tubular shank extending laterally from the upper section of the gear'housing, a shaft rotatably mounted in the shank of the upper section and having toolholding means at its outer end and a beveled gear at its inner end meshing with the upper beveled gear of the double gear, a nut threaded upon the projecting end portion of said bolt, and an actuating handle formed rigid with said nut and extending radially across the upper section of the gear housing and terminating adjacent the shank of the lower section whereby the nut may be loosened to permit turning of the upper section to dispose its shank in predetermined angular relation to the shank of the lower section and the nut then again tightened to secure the upper section in the adjusted position.- I

JOHN E. TORBERT, Jl. 

